Roofing material and method of making the same



May 6 1924. 1,492,610 J. T. SIMPSON ROOFING MATERIAL AND METHOD OFMAKING THE SAME Filed Dec. 14, 1922 [N VEN T018.

7 B Y M A ZTORNEYS.

Patented May 6, i924.

JOHN THOMAS SIMPSON, OF NEW NEW JERSEY.

ROOTING- MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed December 14, 1922. Serial No. 606,842.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN THOMAS SIMP- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Newark, county of Essex, and State of NewJersey, have invented a certain new and useful Roofing Material andMethod of Making the Same, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to roof or'wall coverings which, while having allof the appearances of a thatch, will form a waterproof covering. 7

The objects of the invention are to provide a thatched roofing or wallcovering which may be shop made; which may be manufactured in sectionswhich may be easily handled and shipped; which may be readily placed inposition; which will be waterand wind proof; in which the thatch will beofwstrong and rugged construction, and which will function as a coveringeven when the thatch is removed.

These and further objects will more fully appear in the followingspecification and accompanying drawings considered together orseparately. L

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in

which like parts in all of the several figures are designated bycorresponding characters of reference, and in which Fig. 1 is a planview of a shingle or tile provided with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a plurality of shingles in position.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a shingle reinforcement with the thatch appliedthereto.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the reinforcement and thatch in foldedposition.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view illustrating one method of attachingthe thatch to a shingle.

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of a ridge cap with thatch appliedthereto, and

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view of an eaves member.

The device of the invention may be made up in the form of a shingle ortile, or in sheets of any desired length, and should preferably, but notnecessarily, be applied to a roof or wall with one shingle, tile orsheet, as the case may be partly weathering an adjoining sheet, shingleor tile.

, In the embodiment of the invention illustrated 1O designates a shingleor tile composed of a suitable plastic, waterproof and fireproofmaterial. The shingle may be made of any desired size or configuration.

Projecting from one, the lower. edge of the shingle is a fringe orthatch 11 which may be of any suitable material. The thatch may beshredded bamboo, straw, grass, rope, wooden rods, wire, metal tubes orthe like. The dried leaves of the yucca, a plant indigenous to the aridregions of the western States are admirably suited for the purpose. Whenyucca or other fibrous vegetable substance is employed, the same may bewaterproofed and fireproofed in any known manner. and may be dyed orotherwise oolored if desired.

As illustrated in the drawings the thatch 11 of each shingle is in twolayers one shorter than the other and the shorter layer weathers thelonger. It is to be understood, however, that the arrangement of thethatch may be varied within wide limits. The thatch projecting from ashingle may be in a single layer in which all of the thatch elementsproject to the same distance, or there may be any number of layers eachprojecting a distance shorter than that immediately below it.

As shown in the drawings each shingle is provided with a rabbet 12whereby each shingle may weather the shingle immediately below the same.

In forming the shingle illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a sheet 13 ofwire cloth of approximately the same width as that of the contemplatedshingle, and of a length somewhat greater than the shingle, is provided.A layer of the desired thatch material 11 is placed upon one side ofcloth with the ends projecting from that end thereof. The thatch 10 isnow secured to the cloth, as by stitching 14 as shown in Figs. 4:, 5 and6. I

Alayer of thatch is now secured to opposite side of the cloth andprojects from that end opposite the first mentioned layer. The cloth isnow bent in the middle and one thatch layer is superposed over theother, as shown in Fi 6.

The shing e 10, which is preferabl composed of a plastic, fireproof andwaterproof material, is now molded, pressed, rolled, or otherwiseapplied to the thatch foundation whereby the latter and the securedportions of the thatch elements are embedded in the ments instead ofbein shingle. The embedded wire cloth not only forms an anchorage forthe thatch elements, but acts also as a reinforcement for the shingle.

As illustrated in Fig. 7, the thatch ele stitched to the foundation, aresecured t ereto by 'means of a clip 14 such for example, as that used asa belt fastening.

In Fig. 8, 15 indicates a ridge cap 15 preferably formed of the samematerial as the shingle, and having embedded a foundation carryingprojecting thatch elements 16, one projecting from each side edge of thecap.

Fig. 9 illustrates a member 7 which may depend from the caves of abuildingI to which improved roofin is applied. mbedded in the member% isa plurality of thatch foundations each carrying thatch elementsprojecting from the face of the element, which latter when in place willgive an appearance of thickness to the thatch.

The thatch may be employed in connection with wood shingles, or withweatherboarding by securin the foundation sheet 13 between the overapping ends of the shingles or weatherboards with the thatch beprojecting outward over the exposed portions thereof.

Owing to the fact that the thatch is not required to shed water, it, thethatch, may be made considerably thinner than is necessary. when thethatch is the roof, and the roof may also be made with flatter angles.

By impervious in the followin claims, is meant waterproof or water sheding.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes the principleof the invention has been described together with the article which isnow considered to represent the best embodiment thereof, but itisdesired to have it understood that the article shown is merelyillustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways.

The invention having been described, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent, is

1. A roof comprising overlapping impervious members, and a fringe offila- .mentous elements covering the otherwise exposed surfaces of themembers.

2. A roof comprising overlappin impervious members, and a frin e 0filamentous elements covering the ot erwise exposed surfaces of themembers, said fringe eing secured to one of the members.

3. A roof comprising overlappin impervious members, and a frin e ofilamentous elements covering the ot erwise exposed surfacesof themembers, said fringe eing secured to the overlapping member.

4. A device of the character described,

comprising a member of impervious mamaterial, a series of filamentouselements secured to the reinforcement, said elements projecting from themember.

8. A device of the character described, comprising a member ofreinforced plastic material, a series of flexible, filamentous elementssecured to the reinforcement, said elements projecting from the member.

9. A device of the character described, comprising a member of plasticmaterial, a metal reinforcement embedded in the member, a plurality. ofelongated elements secured to the reinforcement, a portion of eachelement being embedded in the mem- 10. A device of the characterdescribed, comprising a member of plastic material, a metalreinforcement embedded in the member, a plurality of elongated, fibrouselements secured to the reinforcement, a portion of each element beingembedded in the member, the free portions of the elements beingunsecured to each other.

11. A device of the character described, comprising a sheet-like body, aplurality of elongated elements secured to the body at opposite ed es ofthe body, said elements projecting rom the body to form fringes, saidbody being folded on itself whereby one fringe will overlap the other,and a sheetlike member embedding the body and the portions of theelements secured to the body.

12. The method of making a roofing material, which comprises securing aseries of elongated elements side-by-side to a sheetlike body, saidelements projecting from the body in approximately the plane of thebody, and securing the body to a sheet-like member of im erviousmaterial.

13. The met 0d of making a roofing material, which comp-rises securing aseries of elon ated elements side-by-side to a sheetlike %ody, saidelements projecting from the body in approximately the plane of thebody, and forming a sheet-like member to embed the bod 14. The met 0d ofmaking a roofing material, which comprises securing a series ofelonggtsd elements side-by-side to a sheetlike y, said elementsprojecting from the body in approximately the plane of the body, andforming a sheet-like member to embed the body and the attached portionsof the elements.

15. The method of making a roofing ma- 6 terial, which comprisesattaching aseries of elongated elements to one face of a body of wovenWire fabric, portions of said elements projecting from the body in theplane thereof, attaching a series of elements to the no opposite face ofthe body and projecting from that edge of the body opposite the firstmentioned elements, folding the body on itself to cause one series ofelements to overlap the other, and forming a sheet-like member ofplastic material to embed the body and the attached portions of theelements.

This specification signed and witnessed this fifth day of December,1922.

JOHN THOMAS SIMPSON. Witnesses:

ETHEL M. JoNEs, FLORENCE I. CARMAN.

